


A Cup Of Tea for your thoughts?

by Number_Twelve



Series: The Cat Returns Oneshots and others [19]
Category: Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns
Genre: Baron and his tea set -_-, But just a little angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, TCR Birtday Bash 2020, haru needs a hug, lol, midnight snack, the cat returns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25550671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Number_Twelve/pseuds/Number_Twelve
Summary: Haru wakes in the middle of the night after a nightmare in need of a shoulder to cry on (and tea. Tea too).
Relationships: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen/Yoshioka Haru
Series: The Cat Returns Oneshots and others [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740934
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	A Cup Of Tea for your thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the read!   
> (Yeah, it's a bit short, but still...)

It was dark. It rained outside the Sanctuary’s walls, the wind blowing outside the little world, rain falling like bullets in the Human World. The sky above was was grey and dark, and the falling rain seemed to disappear just before it could touch the Sanctuary. Haru quietly opened her bedroom door, wincing when the floorboard she stepped on creaked. The noise sounded abrupt in the quiet house. She stood at her doorway for a solid minute before stepping outside the safety of her bedroom.

Due to the weather outside, she had had to send her mother a text to let her know that she would be staying over at a friend’s. Of course, she didn’t mention that her friends were a talking, fat feline, a crow and a talking half-cat. What was more, the Sanctuary had magically supplied her with a new room, saving her from having to spend the night on the sofa. She stepped farther into the Bureau, looking around in the dark. Muta and Toto were nowhere to be seen, and Baron stood on his table, still as a statue and with his back to her. She assumed that he was asleep in his inanimate form, failing to notice the reflection of his open eyes on the glass in front of him as he watched her walk to the kitchen counter. The brunette found the tea kettle in the semi darkness and poured herself today’s new batch of tea.

“Would you mind pouring me a cup as well?” she jumped, nearly dropping the tea cup and its contents as she whirled around to find Baron’s eyes watching her reflection, his emerald green eyes glinting in the dark as his wooden body slowly changed into flesh, fur and bone. He kept his back to her as she wordlessly poured him a cup and walked over to the table, handing it to him.

“Thank you,” Baron said, taking it from her, “And don’t worry. You are not in trouble for coming over to get a…” he looked up to the clock, which marked twelve twenty nine am, “Midnight snack. Muta does it all the time. And, to tell the truth, I do it every now and then.”

“That’s new. I couldn’t go to sleep.” Haru said, leaning on the table’s side. Baron gave her a sideways look. Her hands were tense and they trembled. Her eyes were faint, as if she were seeing something else. He could sense that something was troubling her.

“Is anything wrong, Miss Haru?” a silence.

“I… just had a silly nightmare.” She said, feeling like it would be better to willingly get it out than him quietly prying it out of her with quiet, worried glances. She sipped at her tea, grateful for the warmth it offered.

“Would it make you feel better if you told me about it?” Baron asked after a few beats of silence. Haru felt like an eight year old once more, curled up next to her mother after telling her about a scary nightmare she had had. Only that instead of her mother, it was Baron. Whom she trusted…

She slowly nodded.

“At first, we were in a Bureau case. But then it was suddenly dark around me and I was alone.” She shuddered at the memory. “I tried to walk forward and… I found that I was inside a box made out of cardboard. And every time I tried to push at the walls or punch my way out of it, it would begin to get smaller and smaller. And I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think straight and I couldn’t shout for help and—” she suddenly fell quiet. She took a sharp intake of air. “S-sorry, I di-didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay to cry every once and a while. It’s… a humane thing.” Baron said gently, stepping off the table and putting a comforting arm around her shoulders to steady her. He pried her fingers off the teacup before she couldn’t accidentally crush it in her fist and harm herself, setting it on the table. He then proceeded to helping her to the sofa, sitting down next to her and taking out his handkerchief from his coat’s breast pocket, quietly offering it to the brunette, who was trying very hard to keep back the tears that threatened to fall. She took it from him gratefully, wiping at her eyes with it. The figurine allowed her to lean on his shoulder, his right arm around her shoulders. They remained in that position for a few minutes until Haru felt she was better.

“Thanks.” She said, clutching the handkerchief in her hands.

“No need to thank me.” The creation said, “How do you feel?”

“A lot better than before.” Haru replied. A short pause. “And tired. But I don’t want to go to sleep. What if… what if they come again?” she asked, feeling like an eight year old once more. Baron sighed, giving her shoulder what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

“ _If_. I really dislike that word.” He said. “ _If_ they come, I will stand by your bedside and whack them away with my cane. Even nightmares dislike getting hit on the face with a cane.” Haru smiled up at him with a light chuckle.

“I really feel lucky to know you guys.” She said in a sleepy voice. Before Baron knew what was happening, the brunette was already dozing on his shoulder. He smiled to himself, carefully leaning forward as to not disturb her, and grabbing his cane from where it was resting propped up on his armchair’s side.

He would be keeping his promise.


End file.
